Borrowing someone else's car would save you the most money. (It has problems of its own, as others have pointed out.) That said, choosing between buying older

Borrowing someone else's car would save you the most money. (It has problems of its own, as others have pointed out.) That said, choosing between buying older and newer is a tradeoff between risk versus cost. The older a car, the more likely it will need repair sooner. But since you've ruled out the most recent model years, most of the cars you're looking at (ca. 2002) will have already gone through the biggest depreciation. If you want your own car, I'd aim for a used newer car (ca. 2002, for instance). Another factor to consider: whether or not you plan to have this car long-term, or if this is just to get you by until you can afford a better one.